After watching Denis Villeneuve's' sequel to his wonderful adaptation of one of my favorite science fiction novels, I found myself in a strange and unique position. Nothing really came to mind in terms of what to write about. I've raved about the previous movie enough and suspect the movie has enough praise as it is. So much so that I struggled to consider what I had to add to the conversation. With that being considered, instead of a myriad of thoughts swimming through my brain, something else became much clearer in its place. This was simply, a feeling.
That feeling was a comfortable sense of satisfaction and overall happiness after the viewing. I'm just genuinely happy that we now have some really great adaptations of Dune out there. I think it's honestly inspirational. For a long time, the novel was considered unfilmable (which I've never really understood) and these movies stand as a testament to never commit to such a philosophy. With enough money, talent and a director which great insight into the original work, we see that such complex texts can be made accessible without compromising the essence of the original piece.
Sure, there are some very minor complaints I could comment on throughout this masterpiece if I wanted to be a stickler to the novel. For one thing, I was pretty amazed that we did a full adaptation of Dune without really discussing in any real detail what the spice does or why it is so important to the galactic economy. I mean, the spice does many things and some of them are kind of strange, but I admit that it would have been cool to have a scene demonstrating how the space travel element works. I also see that this film (oddly similar to the Lynch version) really simplifies the Harkonnens, particularly the Baron and Feyd (Rabban was fine).
As I said though, these are things I wished had been tweaked for me, but the vision of this film as it is doesn't require those things. This version has been focused on the characters and their struggles and the power (and danger) that religion can play in bringing about great change. The director has wisely focused on the hero's journey while still touching on some of the bigger thematic points Herbert suggested. We don't need to know how space travel works because it just works as a source of conflict (insert powerful weapon or magical item here). The villains are evil space Nazi barbarian people because sometimes it works to have a powerful antagonist force. Do I wish they had gone deeper into these things (or even deeper into the question of prophecy and political machinations)? Of course, but it's all so beautifully crafted that I honestly didn't even care about my own nitpicks. (Actually it kind of annoyed me that Fenring was there but only for a few minutes. Why bother having her there at all? Anyway, I digress...)
I could rave as I had before about the technical aspects of the film such as: sound design, costumes, production design, lighting, fight choreography, soundtrack, effects ect. I think that's kind of unnecessary though. All that speaks for itself pretty well. Although my wife and I got a little confused about the visual look between the Sardukar and the Baron's forces. I think there was some crossover there...
Actually, I want to talk about something I think probably won't be brought up in too many conversations. There is a part of this movie, that I prefer (at least elements of) the 1984 version. Now, anybody that knows me would be rolling their eyes at me at this point. Hear me out though.
Although I definitely have some love for the movie that introduced me both the world of Dune and the filmography of one of my favorite directors, I can admit the original does have some issues. In most ways, I think the Villeneuve films are superior or at least more easily digestible. I have some personal preferences, many of which are probably influenced by my nostalgia. Honestly though, I really do enjoy the final attack on the emperor in Lynch's version. It's bombastic and operatic to be sure, even a little campy, but it certainly has an epic tone where the newer version is a little more understated.
In this newer version, the Fremen ride the worms into battle, with the monsters sticking slightly above ground. This creates some potential symbolism though the visuals of the warriors literally using the desert itself as a means to victory. The practical effects of the original are still fantastic though, with the animatronic worms attacking models, really selling the dwarfing size difference. I particularly loved when one worm rears its head in serpent-like fashion. The Baron also getting stabbed with the gom-jabbar and getting sucked out of the ship and eaten by a worm is pretty hard to beat for me. I guess he didn't pass the test! While the newer version does pretty well in balancing the operatic nature of the story with some nuance, I would have liked to have been wowed a little more here.
Feyd-Rautha is another similar area I could echo these feelings on. The villains in general, as I previously mentioned, don't really stand out that much as characters. They are really just representations of evil. Lynch's version wasn't much better in this respect, but his villains had more personality and were just more memorable. Feyd is sort of creepy, but not much is done to distinguish him from the rest of his culture. Then again, it's hard to compete with Sting.
Really though, these are mostly nitpicks and matters of preference. These films are truly wonderful, and they make me feel truly contented. Not only am I contented as a Dune fan, but as a fan of science-fiction and movies that truly warrant the theater going experience. I'll definitely be watching these again. Long live the fighters!
Joe
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